US aerospace giant Boeingsaid on Thursday that it had booked firm aircraft orders worth up to $38 billion (28.7 billion euros) at the Paris Air Show. In a French-language statement that hailed the show as "a great millesime," a term used for fine wines, the US company also announced so-called commitments, or options, on another $22.27 billion worth of planes. 

 

"The 50th Paris Air Show has been important for Boeing with a number of historic milestones," vice president Charlie Miller said in a separate statement."Our airline customers have strongly endorsed Boeing's innovative family of commercial airplanes with outstanding orders and the launch of our latest 787 Dreamliner model," he noted. 

 

Earlier in the day, European rival Airbus released its own figures on firm orders and total deals that included memorandums of understanding, announcing $39.3 billion in confirmed purchases. Meanwhile, manufacturers of smaller regional planes such as Embraer of Brazil and the European turbo-prop specialist ATR also welcomed their best showings in at least 10 years, signs that the air transport sector is going strong. 

 

Boeing used the show to launch its 787-10 Dreamliner, with 102 firm orders and commitments from five customers, including Air Lease Corporation, GE Capital Aviation Services, International Airlines Group / British Airways, Singapore Airlines and United Airlines. (The Economic Times)